Most investors remember Sept. 29, 2008, all too well. It could be argued that the stock market crash had already been set in motion after the collapse of Lehman Brothers a few weeks prior. But on that date, Congress rejected the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, a bill intended to stabilize investment banks. As warning signals flashed up and down Wall Street, investors prepared for the worst. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged in intraday trading, dropping 777.68 points and global markets descended into panic. Even after Congress passed the bill in October 2008, the crash continued. While many stocks took significant losses, some investors seized upon the opportunity to buy on the dip. Since then, prominent tech stocks, including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) have rebounded significantly. But this raises the question of how much a $1,000 investment in AAPL stock made in September 2008 would be worth today.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers and find out exactly how much.

AAPL Stock Since the 2008 Stock Market Crash

Since 2008, AAPL stock has been trending upward and has demonstrated impressive growth. It has emerged as one of the tech sector’s most prominent names as products such as the iPhone have continuously catapulted it to new heights. Since markets began to fall in September 2008, AAPL has gained almost 3,000%, outperforming some tech sector giants and keeping pace with others such as Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). Investors such as Warren Buffett have made long-term bets on it.

Apple’s winning streak speaks for itself but exactly what would the return be on a $1,000 investment made on Sept. 29, 2008? We did the math and found out. AAPL stock closed out that day trading at $3.47 per share. Between then and today, it has increased by roughly 4077.23%, reaching the current share price of $144.94. At the 2008 price, $1,000 would have purchased 288.18 shares of AAPL stock. Given the calculated percentage change, $1,00 invested in AAPL stock on Sept. 29, 2008, would be worth $41,771.691. Put another way, that’s a return on investment (ROI) of more than $40,000.

It Pays to Wait

In 2009, CNBC calculated what an investment in Apple made one decade ago would have yielded. In May 2009, AAPL was still struggling. Though it had slightly rebounded since the previous year’s crash, it still hadn’t broken $5 per share. According to the outlet’s calculations:

If you invested in Apple 10 years ago, that decision would have paid off. According to CNBC calculations, a $1,000 investment made on May 1, 2009, would be worth as of midday May 1, 2019, for a total return of more than 1,200%.

A $12,000 ROI is certainly a profitable investment but a $40,000 one is much better. The underlying consensus is that it pays to purchase a stock when markets are at their worst, even as bearish energy abounds. That means the time to buy is now.

Purchasing AAPL stock just a few months earlier and keeping it in the market for a few years longer would have allowed investors to increase their profit by more than 3x. Investors can also take comfort in the fact that a $1,000 investment made in APPL on Sept. 29, 2008, would be worth more than an investment in Amazon. made on the same day. According to InvestorPlace calculations, the same investment in AMZN would have generated an ROI of more than $36,000. While that figure is impressive, it’s still not as high as Apple’s return.

On the date of publication, Samuel O’Brient did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.